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1.
Curr Drug Deliv ; 2024 Sep 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39289947

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a major healthcare burden globally. Traditional Chinese medicine formula Bushen Jianpi (BSJP) recipe shows inhibitory effects on HCC but suffers from low bioavailability. This study aims to develop a BSJP-loaded liposome (BSJP@Lip) for targeted HCC treatment. METHODS: BSJP@Lip was prepared using a microfluidic device. Particle characterization included size, morphology, drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, and release kinetics analysis. In vitro cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, apoptosis, and protein expression were evaluated in hepG2, Smmc-7721, and hepa 1-6 hepatic cancer cell lines treated with BSJP@Lip. RESULTS: BSJP@Lip nanoparticles showed a uniform spherical shape with an average size of 50 nm and zeta potential at around -2.24 mV. They significantly inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner compared with traditional decoction formulations. Enhanced cellular uptake of BSJP@Lip increased the expression of proinflammatory factors IL-18 and NLRP3. CONCLUSION: BSJP@Lip nanoparticles were found to be efficiently internalized by hepatic cancer cell lines, resulting in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell viability and induction of apoptosis. This effect was accompanied by the upregulation of IL-18 and NLRP3.

2.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl ; : e202413005, 2024 Sep 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39302152

ABSTRACT

Engineering the microenvironment of electrode surface is one of the effective means to tune the reaction pathways in CO2RR. In this work, we prepared copper nanofibers with conductive polypyrrole coating by polymerization of pyrrole using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as template. As a result, the obtained copper nanofibers Cu/Cu2+1O/SHNC, exhibited a superhydrophobic surface, which demonstrated very high selectivity for ethanol with a Faraday efficiency (FE) of 66.5% at -1.1 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in flow cell. However, the catalyst Cu/Cu2+1O/NC, which was prepared under the same conditions but without PVP, possessed a hydrophobic surface and exhibited high selectivity towards ethylene at the given potentials. The mechanism for switch of reaction pathways from ethylene to ethanol in CO2RR was studied. Incorporating pyrrolidone groups into the polymer coating results in the formation of a superhydrophobic surface. This surface weakens the hydrogen bonding interaction between interfacial water molecules and facilitates the transfer of CO2, thereby enhancing the local CO2/H2O ratio. The high coverage of *CO promotes the coupling of *CO and *CHO to form C2 intermediates, and reduces the reaction energy for the formation of *CHCHOH (ethanol path) at the interface. This ensures that the reaction pathway is directed towards ethanol.

3.
J Ethnopharmacol ; 337(Pt 2): 118854, 2024 Sep 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39326815

ABSTRACT

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Saffron is one of the traditional medicinal herbs, which contains various active ingredients, such as safranal, crocin, saffron acid, etc. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties, and is widely used in clinical practice. The anti-cancer efficacy of saffron has been previously confirmed, but its anti-cancer mechanism in colorectal cancer remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of active compounds of saffron on the efficacy of immunotherapy for colorectal cancer. METHODS: TCMSP and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS), GeneCards, and DisGeNET databases were used to identify the active compounds of saffron, drug targets and the disease targets of colorectal cancer. They were then subjected to Gene Ontology Enrichment (GO) and Signalling Pathway Enrichment (KEGG) analyses. The core targets and corresponding compounds were selected for molecular docking. The effect of active components of saffron on the proliferation of CT26 and HCT116 cells was investigated using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). In vitro experiments were conducted by subcutaneous injection of CT26 cells to establish a colon cancer model. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting (WB), real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and flow cytometry (FCM) were employed to validate the effects of saffron on colorectal cancer immunotherapy. RESULTS: 1. LC-MS analysis revealed that the main active component of saffron extract was crocin. The active chemicals of saffron intersected with 170 colorectal cancer targets, with 17 predicting targets for saffron treatment. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that the active components of saffron can prevent colorectal cancer development by enhancing Th17 cell differentiation and the IL-17 signaling pathway. 2. In vitro studies revealed that saffron alcohol extract, crocin, and safranal can suppress the proliferation of CT26 and HCT116 cells. 3. In vivo studies showed that crocin and safranal can increase the body mass and decrease the tumor mass of loaded mice, decrease the serum level of IL-17, and lower the mRNA expression level of IL-17, IL-6, TNF-α, TGF-ß, and PD-L1 and IL-17, PD-L1 protein in tumors. This inhibitory effect was strengthened after combined immunotherapy. In addition, saffron modulated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and the CD4+/CD8+T ratio in mouse spleens. CONCLUSION: The active components of saffron can reduce the expression of inflammatory factors and ameliorate the immunological microenvironment of tumors via the IL-17 signaling pathway, thereby improving the efficacy of immunotherapy for colorectal cancer. This study provides pharmacological support for the application of saffron in enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy for colorectal cancer.

4.
Neurol Sci ; 2024 Aug 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39214869

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Comorbidity of white matter lesions (WMLs) in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is becoming increasingly common. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the risk factors and phenotypic differences for the occurrence and severity of WMLs in patients with PD. METHODS: A total of 123 PD patients underwent clinical, laboratory, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluations. RESULTS: PD patients with WMLs were found to have a higher association with age, Modified Hoehn & Yahr stage (H-Y stage), and hypertension. There was a certain correlation between the severity of WMLs and PD phenotypes. 89% of PD patients had periventricular hyperintensities (PVH). Additionally, the score of the modified version of the Scheltens visual rating scale of PVH in the postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) phenotype of PD was significantly higher than that in the tremor-dominant (TD) phenotype. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores in the PIGD group were significantly lower than those in the TD group. Furthermore, compared with the TD group, the serum homocysteine level was significantly higher in the PIGD group. CONCLUSIONS: Age, H-Y stage, and hypertension are independent risk factors for WMLs in PD, and the severity of WMLs is related to the phenotype of PD patients. Our study found that PVH is the most common occurrence of WMLs in Parkinson's disease, and the burden of PVH is significantly higher in the PIGD phenotype compared to the TD phenotype of PD. Additionally, the PIGD phenotype is associated with more severe cognitive decline and elevated homocysteine levels.

5.
J Endourol ; 2024 Sep 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39212652

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel zero-intrarenal pressure (IRP) percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) technique for one-stage treatment of non-acute infectious calculous pyonephrosis. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 12 patients (4 males, 8 females; mean age 56.4 years) who underwent zero-IRP PCNL. The technique utilized a double-sheath vacuum suction system, with the outer sheath allowing for gravity irrigation and the inner sheath facilitating continuous suction. Keeping the height of gravity perfusion at the level of the kidney inherently prevented high IRP and achieved zero-IRP PCNL, even when stone fragments obstructed the suction channel. Results: The procedure demonstrated a high initial stone-free rate of 75%, improving to 91.7% after 1 month. The average operative time was 50.7 minutes. The mean hemoglobin drop was 6.1 g/L, managed without transfusions. Complications were minimal, with low-grade fever in two patients. No significant intraoperative or postoperative complications, such as sepsis, were noted. Conclusions: The zero-IRP PCNL technique, characterized by its double-sheath vacuum suction system and zero-pressure gravity perfusion, shows promise in safely and effectively managing non-acute infectious calculous pyonephrosis. Preliminary results are encouraging, but further research with larger sample sizes is essential for broader clinical validation.

6.
Carbohydr Polym ; 340: 122312, 2024 Sep 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38858011

ABSTRACT

Understanding the formation of ice crystals is essential for tailoring the microstructure and physical properties of cryogels. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of pectin molecular weight (Mw) on impacting ice crystal formation. Pectin fractions various Mw (10.13-212.20 kDa) were prepared by hydrothermal method. The solution of high Mw pectin fractions exhibited higher contact angle, lower water freedom, and stronger adsorption of water molecules. The splat experiment and molecular dynamic (MD) results confirmed that higher Mw pectin have stronger ice crystal growth inhibition activity than lower Mw pectin. Furthermore, the pore size distribution of the cryogel increased from 98-203 µm to 105-267 µm as the molecular weight decreased from 212.2 kDa to 121.0 kDa. Additionally, in the higher Mw pectin cryogel, stronger mechanical strength was observed. These findings suggested that changing the molecular weight of pectin has the potential to regulate the ice crystal growth, microstructure and physical properties of frozen products.

7.
IUCrJ ; 11(Pt 4): 502-509, 2024 Jul 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38727172

ABSTRACT

X-ray scattering/diffraction tensor tomography techniques are promising methods to acquire the 3D texture information of heterogeneous biological tissues at micrometre resolution. However, the methods suffer from a long overall acquisition time due to multi-dimensional scanning across real and reciprocal space. Here, a new approach is introduced to obtain 3D reciprocal information of each illuminated scanning volume using mathematic modeling, which is equivalent to a physical scanning procedure for collecting the full reciprocal information required for voxel reconstruction. The virtual reciprocal scanning scheme was validated by a simulated 6D wide-angle X-ray diffraction tomography experiment. The theoretical validation of the method represents an important technological advancement for 6D diffraction tensor tomography and a crucial step towards pervasive applications in the characterization of heterogeneous materials.

8.
Sci Total Environ ; 932: 173030, 2024 Jul 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38719043

ABSTRACT

Antibiotic pollution and biological invasion pose significant risks to freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem health. However, few studies have compared the ecological adaptability and ciprofloxacin (CIPR) degradation potential between alien and native macrophytes. We examined growth, physiological response, and CIPR accumulation, translocation and metabolic abilities of two alien plants (Eichhornia crassipes and Myriophyllum aquaticum) and one native submerged species (Vallisneria natans) exposed to CIPR at 0, 1 and 10 mg/L. We found that E. crassipes and M. aquaticum's growth were unaffected by CIPR while V. natans was significantly hindered under the 10 mg/L treatment. CIPR significantly decreased the maximal quantum yield of PSII, actual quantum yield of PSII and relative electron transfer rate in E. crassipes and V. natans but didn't impact these photosynthetic characteristics in M. aquaticum. All the plants can accumulate, translocate and metabolize CIPR. M. aquaticum and E. crassipes in the 10 mg/L treatment group showed greater CIPR accumulation potential than V. natans indicated by higher CIPR contents in their roots. The oxidative cleavage of the piperazine ring acts as a key pathway for these aquatic plants to metabolize CIPR and the metabolites mainly distributed in plant roots. M. aquaticum and E. crassipes showed a higher production of CIPR metabolites compared to V. natans, with M. aquaticum exhibiting the strongest CIPR metabolic ability, as indicated by the most extensive structural breakdown of CIPR and the largest number of potential metabolic pathways. Taken together, alien species outperformed the native species in ecological adaptability, CIPR accumulation and metabolic capacity. These findings may shed light on the successful invasion mechanisms of alien aquatic species under antibiotic pressure and highlight the potential ecological impacts of alien species, particularly M. aquaticum. Additionally, the interaction of antibiotic contamination and invasion might further challenge the native submerged macrophytes and pose greater risks to freshwater ecosystems.


Subject(s)
Ciprofloxacin , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity , Water Pollutants, Chemical/metabolism , Introduced Species , Eichhornia/metabolism , Eichhornia/physiology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/toxicity , Hydrocharitaceae/physiology , Hydrocharitaceae/metabolism , Biodegradation, Environmental
9.
Adv Colloid Interface Sci ; 329: 103162, 2024 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38761601

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews the recent progress of small angle scattering (SAS) techniques, mainly including X-ray small angle scattering technique (SAXS) and neutron small angle scattering (SANS) technique, in the study of metal-organic framework (MOF) colloidal materials (CMOFs). First, we introduce the application research of SAXS technique in pristine MOFs materials, and review the studies on synthesis mechanism of MOF materials, the pore structures and fractal characteristics, as well as the spatial distribution and morphological evolution of foreign molecules in MOF composites and MOF-derived materials. Then, the applications of SANS technique in MOFs are summarized, with emphasis on SANS data processing method, structure modeling and quantitative structural information extraction. Finally, the characteristics and developments of SAS techniques are commented and prospected. It can be found that most studies on MOF materials with SAS techniques focus mainly on nanoporous structure characterization and the evolution of pore structures, or the spatial distribution of other foreign molecules loaded in MOFs. Indeed, SAS techniques take an irreplaceable role in revealing the structure and evolution of nanopores in CMOFs. We expect that this paper will help to understand the research status of SAS techniques on MOF materials and better to apply SAS techniques to conduct further research on MOF and related materials.

10.
Materials (Basel) ; 17(5)2024 Feb 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38473611

ABSTRACT

As a candidate anode material for Li-ion batteries, Bi-based materials have attracted extensive attention from researchers due to their high specific capacity, environmental friendliness, and simple synthesis methods. However, Bi-based anode materials are prone to causing large volume changes during charging and discharging processes, and the effect of these changes on lithium storage performance is still unclear. This work introduces that Bi/C nanocomposites are prepared by the Bi-based MOF precursor calcination method, and that the Bi/C nanocomposite maintains a high specific capacity (931.6 mAh g-1) with good multiplicative performance after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g-1. The structural evolution of Bi/C anode material during the first cycle of charging and discharging is investigated using in situ synchrotron radiation SAXS. The SAXS results indicate that the multistage scatterers of Bi/C composite, used as an anode material during the first lithiation, can be classified into mesopores, interspaces, and Bi nanoparticles. The different nanostructure evolutions of three types of Bi nanoparticles were observed. It is believed that this result will help to further understand the complex reaction mechanism of Bi-based anode materials in Li-ion batteries.

11.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int ; 31(18): 26646-26664, 2024 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38451456

ABSTRACT

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are persistent organic contaminants that are highly toxic to the environment and bioaccumulate, but their ecotoxic effects on aquatic plants remain unclear. In this study, the submerged plant Vallisneria natans was treated with short-term (7 days) and long-term (21 days) exposures to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) at concentrations of 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 10 mg/L, respectively. The results showed that both high concentrations of PFOA and PFOS inhibited the growth of V. natans and triggered the increase in photosynthetic pigment content in leaves. The oxidative damage occurred mainly in leaves, but both leaves and roots gradually built up tolerance during the stress process without serious membrane damage. Both leaves and roots replied to short-term stress by activating superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), while peroxidase (POD) was involved under high concentration stress with increasing exposure time. Leaves showed a dose-effect relationship in integrated biomarker response (IBR) values under short-term exposure, and the sensitivity of roots and leaves to PFOS was higher than that of PFOA. Our findings help to increase knowledge of the toxic effects of PFCs and have important reference value for risk assessment and environmental remediation of PFCs in the aquatic ecosystem.


Subject(s)
Alkanesulfonic Acids , Caprylates , Fluorocarbons , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Fluorocarbons/toxicity , Alkanesulfonic Acids/toxicity , Caprylates/toxicity , Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity , Hydrocharitaceae/drug effects , Plant Leaves/drug effects
12.
Biomolecules ; 14(3)2024 Feb 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38540707

ABSTRACT

Disordered linkers (DLs) are intrinsically disordered regions that facilitate movement between adjacent functional regions/domains, contributing to many key cellular functions. The recently completed second Critical Assessments of protein Intrinsic Disorder prediction (CAID2) experiment evaluated DL predictions by considering a rather narrow scenario when predicting 40 proteins that are already known to have DLs. We expand this evaluation by using a much larger set of nearly 350 test proteins from CAID2 and by investigating three distinct scenarios: (1) prediction residues in DLs vs. in non-DL regions (typical use of DL predictors); (2) prediction of residues in DLs vs. other disordered residues (to evaluate whether predictors can differentiate residues in DLs from other types of intrinsically disordered residues); and (3) prediction of proteins harboring DLs. We find that several methods provide relatively accurate predictions of DLs in the first scenario. However, only one method, APOD, accurately identifies DLs among other types of disordered residues (scenario 2) and predicts proteins harboring DLs (scenario 3). We also find that APOD's predictive performance is modest, motivating further research into the development of new and more accurate DL predictors. We note that these efforts will benefit from a growing amount of training data and the availability of sophisticated deep network models and emphasize that future methods should provide accurate results across the three scenarios.


Subject(s)
Computational Biology , Intrinsically Disordered Proteins , Computational Biology/methods , Proteins/chemistry , Intrinsically Disordered Proteins/chemistry , Databases, Protein
13.
Chem Sci ; 15(11): 4140-4145, 2024 Mar 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38487226

ABSTRACT

For CO2 electroreduction (CO2ER) to C2 compounds, it is generally accepted that the formation of ethylene and ethanol shares the same intermediate, *HCCOH. The majority of studies have achieved high faradaic efficiency (FE) towards ethylene, but faced challenges to get high ethanol FE. Herein, we present an alkyl sulfonate surfactant (e.g., sodium dodecyl sulfonate, SDS) mediated CO2ER to a C2 product over an in situ generated Cu catalyst (Cu@SDS) from SDS-modified Cu(OH)2. It achieves the CO2ER to ethylene as the sole C2 product at low applied voltages with a FE of 55% at -0.6 V vs. RHE and to ethanol as the main product at potentials ≥0.7 V with a maximum FE of 64% and a total C2 FE of 86% at -0.8 V, with a current density of 231 mA cm-2 in a flow cell. Mechanism investigation indicates that SDS modifies the oxidation state of the in situ formed Cu species in Cu@SDS, thus tuning the catalyst activity for CO2ER and lowering the C-C coupling energy barrier; meanwhile, it tunes the adsorption mode of the *HCCOH intermediates on the catalyst, thus mediating the selectivity of CO2ER towards C2 products.

14.
Urology ; 187: 1-5, 2024 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38373576

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a novel negative pressure ureteroscopic lithotripsy (NP-URL) compared to standard ureteroscopic lithotripsy (S-URL) for treating ureteral stones. METHODS: A total of 284 patients diagnosed with ureteral stones and who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy between December 2020 and May 2022 at our hospital were included in the study. Among them, 146 cases underwent NP-URL and 138 cases underwent S-URL. The negative pressure device used in NP-URL consists of a 5F ureteric catheter and a tee joint. We evaluated the operative duration, stone-free rate, incidence of postoperative complications, stone retropulsion rate, and adjunct procedure rate between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean operative duration was significantly shorter in the NP-URL group compared to the S-URL group (30.17 ± 5.84 minutes vs 34.84 ± 6.62 minutes; P<.05). Additionally, the NP-URL group had a lower incidence of postoperative fever (1.4% vs 8.7%; P<.05), reduced stone retropulsion rate (3.4% vs 11.6%; P<.05), and a statistically lower rate of adjunct procedures (5.5% vs 14.5%, P<.05). The NP-URL group also demonstrated a higher primary stone-free rate (91.8% vs 81.9%; P<.05). However, there was no significant difference in the final stone-free rate between the NP-URL and S-URL groups (P>.05). CONCLUSION: NP-URL potentially reduces operative duration, significantly decreases the incidence of postoperative complications, and achieves better primary stone-free rates compared to S-URL.


Subject(s)
Lithotripsy , Operative Time , Ureteral Calculi , Ureteroscopy , Humans , Ureteral Calculi/therapy , Ureteral Calculi/surgery , Ureteroscopy/methods , Male , Female , Lithotripsy/methods , Lithotripsy/instrumentation , Middle Aged , Treatment Outcome , Adult , Postoperative Complications/epidemiology , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Retrospective Studies
16.
Int Immunopharmacol ; 129: 111650, 2024 Mar 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38342062

ABSTRACT

Renal fibrosis is a key feature of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, whereas no proven effective anti-fibrotic treatments. Forsythiaside A (FTA), derived from Forsythia suspense, has been found to possess nephroprotective properties. However, there is limited research on its anti-fibrotic effects, and its mechanism of action remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the suppressive effects of FTA on renal fibrosis and explore the underlying mechanisms. In vitro, we established a HK2 cell model induced by transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1), and in vivo, we used a mice model induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). CCK-8 assay, qRT-PCR, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, histological staining, immunohistochemistry, TUNEL assay, RNA transcriptome sequencing, and molecular docking were performed. The results showed that FTA (40 µM or 80 µM) treatment improved cell viability and suppressed TGF-ß1-induced fibrotic changes and partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, FTA treatment reversed the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and THBS1 was identified as the target gene. We found that THBS1 knockdown suppressed the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and reduced the fibrosis and partial EMT-related protein level. Conversely, THBS1 overexpression activated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and exacerbated renal fibrosis and partial EMT. In vivo, mice were administered FTA (30 or 60 mg/kg) for 2 weeks, and the results demonstrated that FTA administration significantly mitigated tubular injury, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, partial EMT, and apoptosis. In conclusion, FTA inhibited renal fibrosis and partial EMT by targeting THBS1 and inhibiting activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway.


Subject(s)
Glycosides , Renal Insufficiency, Chronic , Ureteral Obstruction , Mice , Animals , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism , Molecular Docking Simulation , Signal Transduction , Ureteral Obstruction/drug therapy , Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/pathology , Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition , Fibrosis , Kidney/pathology
17.
Int J Biol Macromol ; 262(Pt 2): 130028, 2024 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38340927

ABSTRACT

Porous morphology and mechanical properties determine the applications of cryogels. To understand the influence of the ionic network on the microstructure and mechanical properties of pectin cryogels, we prepared low-methoxyl pectin (LMP) cryogels with different Ca2+ concentrations (measured as R-value, ranging from 0 to 2) through freeze-drying (FD). Results showed that the R-values appeared to be crucial parameters that impact the pore morphology and mechanical characteristics of cryogels. It is achieved by altering the network stability and water state properties of the cryogel precursor. Cryogel precursors with a saturated R-value (R = 1) produced a low pore diameter (0.12 mm) microstructure, obtaining the highest crispness (15.00 ± 1.85) and hardness (maximum positive force and area measuring 2.36 ± 0.31 N and 12.30 ± 1.57 N·s respectively). Hardness showed a negative correlation with Ca2+ concentration when R ≤ 1 (-0.89), and a similar correlation with the porosity of the gel network when R ≥ 1 (-0.80). Given the impacts of crosslinking on the pore structure, it is confirmed that the pore diameter can be designed between 56.24 and 153.58 µm by controlling R-value in the range of 0-2.


Subject(s)
Cryogels , Pectins , Cryogels/chemistry , Mechanical Phenomena , Porosity , Hardness
18.
Chem Commun (Camb) ; 60(12): 1634-1637, 2024 Feb 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38234223

ABSTRACT

Li- and Mn-rich layered oxides (LMLOs) are regarded as the most promising cathode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), but they suffer from poor rate capability. Herein, a promising and practical method (i.e. a hydroxide coprecipitation method in combination with a microwave heating process) is developed to controllably synthesize cobalt-free Li[Li0.2Ni0.2Mn0.6]O2 with a layered/spinel heterostructure (LLNMO-LS). The cathode made of the LLNMO-LS delivers an excellent electrochemical performance, demonstrating a discharge capacity of 147 mA h g-1 at 10C.

19.
Signal Transduct Target Ther ; 9(1): 9, 2024 01 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38172098

ABSTRACT

Lymphatic vessels, comprising the secondary circulatory system in human body, play a multifaceted role in maintaining homeostasis among various tissues and organs. They are tasked with a serious of responsibilities, including the regulation of lymph absorption and transport, the orchestration of immune surveillance and responses. Lymphatic vessel development undergoes a series of sophisticated regulatory signaling pathways governing heterogeneous-origin cell populations stepwise to assemble into the highly specialized lymphatic vessel networks. Lymphangiogenesis, as defined by new lymphatic vessels sprouting from preexisting lymphatic vessels/embryonic veins, is the main developmental mechanism underlying the formation and expansion of lymphatic vessel networks in an embryo. However, abnormal lymphangiogenesis could be observed in many pathological conditions and has a close relationship with the development and progression of various diseases. Mechanistic studies have revealed a set of lymphangiogenic factors and cascades that may serve as the potential targets for regulating abnormal lymphangiogenesis, to further modulate the progression of diseases. Actually, an increasing number of clinical trials have demonstrated the promising interventions and showed the feasibility of currently available treatments for future clinical translation. Targeting lymphangiogenic promoters or inhibitors not only directly regulates abnormal lymphangiogenesis, but improves the efficacy of diverse treatments. In conclusion, we present a comprehensive overview of lymphatic vessel development and physiological functions, and describe the critical involvement of abnormal lymphangiogenesis in multiple diseases. Moreover, we summarize the targeting therapeutic values of abnormal lymphangiogenesis, providing novel perspectives for treatment strategy of multiple human diseases.


Subject(s)
Lymphatic Vessels , Humans , Lymphatic Vessels/pathology , Lymphatic Vessels/physiology , Lymphangiogenesis/genetics , Signal Transduction/genetics
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